Decreased surfactant activity coefficients in polymer-surfactant mixtures

The SDS unimer concentration in a series of mixed anionic/non-ionic surfactant solutions comprising sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and sugar-based dodecyl bis-N-methyl gluconamides (C(12)BNMG) have been studied using an anionic surfactant selective electrode, both in the presence and absence of the polyampholyte gelatin. The activity of the SDS has been calculated at the critical micelle concentration (CMC) in the gelatin-free studies and at CMC(1) in the gelatin studies. From the known solution composition, the activity coefficients can be calculated; these show deviations from unity around a solution mole fraction (alpha(SDS)) of 0.95 SDS in both cases. The deviation is significantly greater in the presence of gelatin, to an extent that the SDS activity versus alpha(SDS) curve exhibits a maximum and a minimum in the region alpha(SDS)=0.8-1.0, consistent with the possibility of coexisting micelle types, in agreement with our earlier NMR study (Griffiths et al. (1998) J Chem Soc Chem Comm 1:53).